Osage vs. oak ???

Most firewood charts put red oak and most other variants around 22-24 Mbtu/cord and Osage around 30-31 Mbtu/cord... so cord-for-cord, Osage is equal to about 1-1/3 cords of oak. If you don't mind the sparks and have good access to osage/hedge or can get it for less than 1.3x the cost of oak, then you're break even or better. $80 for a true cord sounds like a decent deal.

You'll probably try mixing osage in with other hardwoods to see what works best for your stove and in your particular circumstance.
Long lasting burns, with short blue flames, and excellent coaling. Great for cold overnights, for easy restart in the morning, and for maintaining coals throughout the day.
I like to mix layers of osage throughout my stacks, so I'll always have a ready mix osage: other hardwood when I bring in wood throughout the season.

Osage is great. I like to burn it overnight when I know I won't be opening the stove door for a while (it sparks like crazy when the air hits it). Make sure to split it soon. It gets harder to split as it seasons.

Opening the stove door to feed or adjust can be pretty exciting. My osage seems to like a lot of air. Seems like lighter woods can be happy with the air cut back, but the hedge wants a few more breaths than your average split. Start the fire with something else and add the osage to it. Then keep the door shut and don't screw with it!

I enjoy it but hope it's never the only wood I have for a season. Oak is so predictable and there a range of performance with osage between pieces. It'll worry you for a bit and then you'll love it.

Opening the stove door to feed or adjust can be pretty exciting. My osage seems to like a lot of air. Seems like lighter woods can be happy with the air cut back, but the hedge wants a few more breaths than your average split. Start the fire with something else and add the osage to it. Then keep the door shut and don't screw with it!

I enjoy it but hope it's never the only wood I have for a season. Oak is so predictable and there a range of performance with osage between pieces. It'll worry you for a bit and then you'll love it.

I don't think mother nature can dish out any cold that my stove can't handle burning ash and osage orange 3 to 1.

I'm new to the forum, but thought I would chime in. I am blessed or cursed with a lot of hedge apple (osage orange) on my property. Makes for great fence posts and the very best firewood I have ever used. I generally only cut that for my firewood, but recently had to cut down a tree growing too close to the house that is Hackberry, so I'm cutting and chopping it up for extra firewood. We will see how it does, I think mixing it in with the hedge apple wood may work well instead of the 100% hedge apple burns I'm used to doing in winter.

Best of luck to you!

-Mark

Welcome to the forum Mark. If you are "cursed" with hedge, why would you burn anything else? Don't jump the gun on that hackberry and burn it before it has a chance to dry properly.

begreen said:

Osage orange is premium heating wood. I would get that load just to experience the difference.

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I would agree. Here on east coast there is limited supplies of osage. I like oak, but would gladly pay 80 for a true cord of asage.

Oldman47 said:

Welcome to the forum Mark. If you are "cursed" with hedge, why would you burn anything else? Don't jump the gun on that hackberry and burn it before it has a chance to dry properly.

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Thanks for the welcome, glad to have found this forum!

Oh I'll make sure it seasons before I try to burn the hackberry. I have so much from that one yard tree that it seemed a sin to waste it, so it will be extra for whenever I need it.

Should be in for a treat.. where is the other half of your cord? ...or is that the first load of two - lol

You will not be disappointed, it's great for over night burns and those real cold days.

Big Chris said:

Can't wait
To try it !

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It looks like there might be some mullbery on there as well.